Corn Chowder (with Bacon and Potatoes)

This Corn Chowder (with Bacon and Potatoes) is the second Joy of Cooking recipe I've made this month.

There are some great recipes in that little cookbook - well, maybe not so little since it has over 4000 recipes!

Some of the recipes are basic, some are a little more involved. I think they can squish all those recipes in there because there are no photos. That doesn't take away from the recipes, though, and they've tested them so many times that I know they'll be good. So far, so good.

Since Winter is winding down in this part of the country (about 60° today - sorry North Dakota), this Corn Chowder caught my eye while thumbing through this tome.

It has chunky potatoes, bacon, and fresh corn in it and is a hearty chowder. Use the best, freshest produce you can get. It really makes a difference.

Even though the recipe called for milk instead of cream (I used 2% milk as usual), it's still rich and creamy, with chunks of goodness here and there. Simmering the corn cobs with the chowder really adds another level of corn goodness.

We totally enjoyed it and will make it again when the weather gets cooler later this year.

I've never owned The Joy of Cooking, but after making the Chocolate Shortbread and this Corn Chowder, I'm inclined to invest in it. There are a ton more recipes from it that I want to try!

Update: I finally purchased The New Joy of Cooking (the 2019 version) and am loving it. More delicious recipes to come!

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Corn Chowder (with Potatoes and Bacon)

Yield: 5 - 6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

From The Joy of Cooking.  Chunky, but creamy, and a great corn flavor.  Very, very good!

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Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 6 small ears fresh corn
• 4 ½ C milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white or black ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. In a dutch oven or soup pot, cook the chopped bacon over medium-low heat until it begins to crisp (8-10 minutes).  It will finish cooking when onion and celery are added.
2. Leave the bacon in the pot and drain all but 2 tablespoons of grease.  Add the onion and celery and cook until they're tender and slightly browned (about 10 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, remove the kernels from the corn cobs and set the corn aside.  Keep the cobs.
4. After celery and onion are done, add the milk and potatoes to the pot.  Add the corn cobs and submerge them (they'll submerge about ½ way).  Bring the mixture almost to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Remove the cobs and discard.  Stir in the corn kernels and add the salt and pepper.
5. Simmer on low until the corn is tender, uncovered, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Remove about 1 ¾ cups of the solids from the soup and puree until smooth.  Return the puree to the soup pot and add the butter.  Let stand until the butter is melted, then stir to combine and serve.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I used a combination of russet potatoes and red potatoes.  If you want, leave the skin on the red potatoes for color (I don't prefer them).

I found that freezing the bacon for about half an hour made it much easier to chop.

I used about 1 ½ teaspoons of onion powder instead of onion since Bret can't eat them.  

When simmering, make sure heat is on low so the milk won't boil up.  You don't want to ever get the milk to the boiling point.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 bowl
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 840mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 14g

Nutrition Values are Approximate